The Terminal

22MAR2020- Science and the Bible. Terminal

The Problem: We all die.

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Good morning How is everyone doing this morning? Im happy to be joining you in the comforts of your own home… However, - I’d like to take you on vacation today…

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Last I checked ticket prices are at an all time low… So bare with me, because you won’t want to miss this particular flight…It’s the one you’ve been waiting your whole life for… Lets jump in our Uber! We’re headed off to a corona free airport… So buckle up…

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What happens when we die? I know what your thinking- Wow- not wasting any time Chris.

Over the last few weeks we have been walking through this series Science and the Bible. Initially James spoke about how we needed both God and Science. That science ultimately helped us to understand how and what we are doing in order to help make sense of the physical world God created for us. Then last week Adam spoke about how beautifully perfect our world was created, how we should praise our creator while being both in awe and good stewards of his creations.

Don’t forget now…we are in the Uber, arriving at the airport for a trip of a lifetime. We just cleared the security check point and after putting on our shoes, our belt, our jacket, gathering our keys and phones…we head over to the gate…

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We sit for a minute and the news catches our attention… Our world is almost unrecognizable…Fear and anxiety has overcome our minds. Over the last week we’ve seen an exponential escalation of fear and angst with what seems like no light in sight. It’s hard to believe that I wrote this sermon on the heels of social distancing in order to “flatten the curve” amidst a pandemic leaving me to deliver this message via lifestream to a mostly empty sanctuary.

It’s stark I know but with the corona virus making its way across the planet - How many people globally are pondering their future at this very moment…. Will this affect me? Will this be my time? What will happen if and when I die? How about this - Will I just vanish forever?

___ This question has transcended time when Job asked, (NLT): Can the dead live again?

In answering questions about death and the afterlife, there are really three sources to consult. We can either turn to science who says if your heart has stopped, pupils are fixed and dilated, and the brain stem ceases to function - you are dead-plain and simple; to the subjective human experiences who speak of an in between world where death and life meet, or we turn to the Word of the one true and glorious God who says:

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“Very truly I tell you whoever hears my word and believes in who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life”

When we turn to human experience, what does that look like? Paul promised in First Corinthians “No eye has seen… and no human mind has conceived,” stories today often follow the same pattern. If you are certain that you saw something (or felt something or heard something), does it mean that it existed? What about if you have such a strong desire to see something? are you more likely to actually see it? Come on, you’ve heard the stories.

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Some type of trauma leaves a victim floating out of their body. Perhaps they say there is a white light, a gate or a tunnel. Next they’re being guided through some other realm seemingly familiar yet strange all the same. Sometimes they are united with loved ones lost, even historical figures …and sometimes… even encounters with Jesus himself. Then in an instant they’re returned to the human world as we see it. Nonetheless their experience changes them forever.

Now, Are people bias towards these experiences as a result of something that permeated their mind while under stress, unconscious or traumatized in some way? What we actually find in the end are a bunch of guesses, ideas, and theories.

Amongst the unknown, what we do know is nothing is so certain except for death and taxes. Well that and being perpetually stuck at the airport… Don’t forget… We are headed to a very special destination…. However, We are still at the terminal and I forgot to mention… Its the Newark airport.

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Oh nooooo, not Newark you say… It’ll be ok… He promises…

Now, Science has plenty of theories about the connection between visions of heaven and the chemical and physical processes that occur at death. To date no sure answers exist-just constant dead ends regardless of which Human driven route we explore.

A clever man may find a way to evade Newark… He may even find a way to evade taxes. However, death on the other hand can never be eliminated. Let's be completely transparent…someday I will die, someday those I love will die, and nothing can change this solemn fact. It is No wonder the human mind is drawn to the question, “What happens when we die?”

Society seems to question the finality of death.

There are literally millions of so-called “mediums” that claim to be able to contact the spirits of the dead. The New Age Movement has popularized such Eastern concepts like reincarnation, spiritualism, and communication with the dead.

Today, anyone with a smartphone can connect with psychics, spirit guides, and experts in reincarnation. A recent google search yielded more than 45 million hits On witchcraft, 34 million about reincarnation, and roughly 6 Million about communication with the dead. People are clearly confused and searching for answers.

I can give the answer about what happens after you die to you in one sentence.

It depends on what you do before you die.

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(NLT): “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment”

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And unlike the fact that you may fall asleep at the terminal and miss your flight - This is an appointment no one will miss. Of everything I’ve researched and as someone once noted, the statistics on death are appalling. 100/ 100 people will eventually die. We are terminally ill with a disease called death, we just don’t know when the end will come.

Fortunately for you, you found the nicest, kindest ticket agent at your gate. She says, I understand you fell asleep at the gate, and that you are headed on your dream vacation… Sweetheart It doesn’t matter which flight you get on… All flights lead to your destination… and you think wow, that’s great… thank you so much….

Many question if there is a “second chance” after death? This is the popular view of many people who hope that those who did not accept Christ in this life will somehow have a second chance after death-either in the afterlife or perhaps through reincarnation-to prove themselves. The answer is quite simple. There is no biblical support for the notion of a “second chance.” God lays it out clearly in The bible when He says that we die once and after that we face the judgment of God. Let no one be mistaken on this point. The only opportunity you will ever have to get right with God is the opportunity God affords you right now.

Ok, today we’re honing in to . Is anyone familiar with the parable with the rich man and the beggar? Why don’t you pull out your bibles or your smart phones so you we can get into it…

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The rich man in this parable lived out the lifestyle afforded to the wealthy of that time. He had extravagant clothing, ate gourmet meals abound- No desire went unmet. Think the playboy mansion meets real housewives of atlanta…

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In contrast, there is a poor diseased beggar. To help wrap your head around it. During these time there was no middle class you were either living in the playboy mansion or sleeping in the sewers. Often the poor were reduced to begging for survival. Lazarus, was sick, he was hungry, abandoned and just laying at the rich man’s door- for the slightest hope. Picture this- a scrap of Leftovers was all he desired, and we know the rich man could’ve easily spared some morsels. But the rich man chose to spend his money on himself and never even noticed this desolate man at his doorstep. His wealth was not sinful, but his selfishness was. What do you think the future holds for him?

In God’s Word we find ample and abundant answers. God knows the future. God knows what happens when we die … and How awesome is God? He hasn’t left us to wonder about it. The Bible is filled with information on this subject, so much in fact that I could never hope to cover it all today. it is written that some did see the Lord before they died.

Take a look up at the screen here… Stephen saw Jesus just before he died in .

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But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 56 And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!” (NLT).

Paul also was given this opportunity during his stoning while at Lystra in and he talks about it .

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(NLT)

This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows.

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3 Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know 4 that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.

Not every believer had or will have a revelation of heaven. Not everyone will have a near death experience. Could such a thing happen today? I believe it can, if it’s God’s will, so I leave that to him. We shouldn’t expect it or base our expectation of heaven upon a last-second experience because the majority of survivors don’t have this experience… or aren’t here to confirm it.

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Take for instance the story of a St. Louis teenager who slipped through an icy lake and was underwater for 15 minutes before resuscitative efforts were started. Although being rescued, he ended up in a coma, and his family was left to rely on their faith to get them through the ordeal. This boy was clinically dead. The Doctors worked on him for almost an hour. This is unheard of. They wanted to give him every chance of survival possible. They wanted to ensure the family was witness to his medical team doing everything they could for him. As his mom wailed for the Holy Spirit to come and bring her boy back… In that instant, per reports… After the Doctors had essentially ruled out he would live again… A blip on the monitor returned… and Then another… and just then His heart began to beat again…. Alive again, Yet there is no discussion about a tunnel, a gate, or being in the presence of the Lord upon his return.

We have to be cautious, However. We cannot forget…the adversary is ever on the prowl and at work. He can create scenes that seem to be the scenes of heaven… he can sprinkle this creation with just enough truth to deceive us. As we saw the statistics before, people are lost, the are searching for answers, the are deeply saddened by the loss of their loved ones. It is through this loss and their own grief that they seek a great connection. They feel that if I can just connect with them one last time and get the answers to know definitively where they are, that everything will be ok. So they take a chance… They dabble… Even The Ouija Board sold at your local walmart remains a perpetual fascination for youngsters. Do we give this merit? Do we want to trust the flesh in that way, do we want to given the adversary that foothold? Remember, demons easily masquerade as the dead. They can mimic the voices of our loved ones and give information that we are convinced only the person who has passed would have known. In case this isn’t clear, lets keep it simple. Don’t mess around here…. The Bible guides us in the right direction always… Look here…

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Duet 18:10–12(NLT) For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft,

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11 or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.

Now we come to the question of the hour. What actually happens at the very moment of death? Lying on the death bed… Remember…What happens when you die depends on what happens before you die. We have come to a fork in the road….

The Bible classifies the whole human race into two broad categories- the saved and the lost.

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For the saved, The Bible is abundantly clear on this point. When the saved die, they go directly into the presence of the Lord. Remember the words of Jesus to the thief on the cross in (NLT): And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

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This appears to be a straightforward promise that at the moment of death the repentant thief would pass from his life of crime and his agonizing death into the realm called “paradise.” Some choose to believe that at the point of death, you enter a realm of “soul sleep”. To those who choose to believe in this notion, believe that at death the spirit “sleeps” in a kind of suspended animation until the day of the resurrection.

How could the thief be that very day in paradise if his soul were to go to sleep when he died? It’s impossible…it’s in that moment of death that the believer passes immediately into the personal presence of Jesus Christ. This is our hope, our faith, our comfort as we stand at the graveside of a loved one. We should be rejoicing in this moment! They have arrived…

Paul said he had a desire to depart and to “be with Christ, which is better by far” (). He also said, “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body (that is, separated from the body by death) and at home with the Lord” ().

These are the words of a man who knew that heaven would begin at the moment of his death. Remember… He had already been…. Was Paul looking forward to an unconscious slumber after his death where his should would “sleep”? No! He was looking forward to the personal presence of Jesus Christ in “paradise”.

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Friends, I think we have the wrong view of death. We think we’re going from the land of the living to the land of the dying. This is simply Not true! If you know Jesus, you are going from the land of the dying to the land of the living! Praise God!

Here are some of the images the Bible uses for the death of a Christian: going to sleep and waking up in heaven … moving from a tent to a mansion … walking from the darkness into a well-lit room … coming home to see your family and friends … being set free from prison … taking a long journey to a new land … we will be with the Lord forever.

Wherever he is, there we will be, rejoicing, praising, singing and celebrating throughout the ages of eternity. says, “We will be with the Lord forever.” While speaking of his own return, Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (NLT).

As Christians, What is ahead for us when we die?

Our soul goes into the conscious presence of the Lord.

What a perfect love story!

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But what about the lost? Now we turn briefly to consider the fate of those who die without Jesus Christ. The lost fear death and with good reason. calls death “the king of terrors.”

14 They are torn from the security of their homes

and are brought down to the king of terrors. ().

reminds us that the devil holds people in bondage through the fear of death.

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14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. ().

And

calls death “the last enemy.”

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And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. ().

Before saying any more, we should note one ironic similarity between the fate of the saved and the lost. At the moment of death, the soul enters a new realm. However, for the believer, the moment of death brings him into the personal presence of Christ and everlasting joy. Unfortunately for the unbeliever, death begins an experience of unending conscious punishment.

At the moment of death, the soul of the lost is sent into hell where there is unending conscious torment. Remember Lazarus and the rich man from ? Eventually both pass on for death

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death takes everyone regardless of socioeconomic status. The rich man ended up in torment in the place of the dead, the destiny of those who have refused to believe. The “torment” is described specifically in 16:24 as “flames.” Worse yet was his conscious awareness of and ability to see paradise, with Abraham and Lazarus in peace and luxury. The role reversal is obvious—as Lazarus once lay in pain outside the door of the rich man’s house watching him feast, so here the rich man was in torment watching the joy far away in heaven.

The punishment is eternal. In it speaks of the fire that is not quenched and the worm that does not die- referring to the continuous existence of human personality in hell.

Describes the awesome scene as the unsaved dead are raised to stand before God and receive their final sentence of doom.

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And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

The unsaved are then cast into the lake of fire where they will reside forever, eternally separated from the presence of Almighty God.

If this is unbearable to think about, it should be! if you shrink from such a thought, then by all means we must do whatever is necessary to make sure that such a fate does not befall the ones we love the most.

Lets let that soak in…

This is the final destiny of those who do not know Jesus Christ. To make it more personal, this is the final destiny of your friends and neighbors, your loved ones, your parents, your brothers, your sisters, your children, if they die without Jesus Christ.

And, yes, it is your destiny if you die without Jesus Christ. Let that thought linger in your mind. The reality of hell is more than just a theoretical doctrine. There is a place reserved for you in the lake of fire unless you, by a conscious choice, put your complete trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, throw yourself on the alter and repent of your sins and show your Glory for God.

Let's rewind a little. Do you remember falling asleep at the terminal and missing your flight… But wait a minute. The wonderfully friendly ticket agent said any flight would get us to our destination. But is that true? Does that actually make sense? Think of how excited I would be to jump on the cheapest flight to “Anywhere” expecting to end up in Hawaii and being dropped off in my swim trunks in Siberia. How excited would I be to arrive yet How disappointed would I end up being? How do you think our loved ones are going to feel when they are standing on the wrong side of the chasm.

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It is imperative that we Christians be the the light in our dark world. That we witness to our friends and show them the truth through our attitudes and actions. The Lord will use you to be the calm in someones storm. We just have to step into it- Being nice, being a good person, being moral does not give us a first class ticket to the promised realm. It’s a relationship with Jesus. Look back at our story of Lazarus- There is only one life on this earth, and that is the time of decision. People cannot wait until eternity to make their relationship right with God—it will be too late. The judgment will have been made on the basis of their choices, and it will be irreversible.

Let me ask you- Do you know Jesus? If so, then you need not live in fear. Don’t let this Pandemic, the idea of no toilet paper or no Starbucks put fear on your heart. Don’t let the fear of Death and thoughts of “will it be quick or slow, painful or painless”? Overcome your faith… When the moment comes, you will find yourself ushered by your father’s arms into heaven where you will see Jesus face to face.

Jesus Has the Keys

Listen to the words of Jesus in , “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Keys are a sign of authority. If you have the keys to my house, you can open it and go in any time you want. It is often said that the devil owns the gates of hell-that is, he has the power of death. But that’s okay. The devil has the gates, but Jesus has the keys! We have nothing to fear in the moment of death for when the time comes, Jesus will personally unlock the gate and usher us into his presence.

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“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (, ).

If you believe in Jesus, you will never die. What an amazing promise. The believers flesh may die everyday, but for a believer, death is merely the passing of our spirit from this life with all its sorrows into a life of joy, peace, happiness, and abundance eternally in the presence of our Lord to glorify the one true God.

The question is not: What happens when we die? But rather: What will happen when you die?

Death is not the end of the road, it’s not your final destination, It is just the beginning of your trip to paradise. It’s where you’ve been desperately trying to get to with all the delays along the way. With anticipation, It’s where your flight will eventually safely land. This is only the beginning of an eternal vacation… For the believer- Death is but a bright, beautiful, welcoming doorway to heaven. You just have to get on the plane. The time is now. Get on your flight and Put your trust in CHRIST… for NLT . If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved….

There will be no surprise by what happens next.

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